Schick Shadel Hospital - Substance Abuse Program

They are set up for 3 levels: inpatient residential, inpatient hospital and detox. Of the 8 centers within 14 miles of Seattle, 3 offer a bed.

They provide detox for 5 substances: opioids, alcohol, benzodiazepines, cocaine and methamphetamines. Whether a bed is free this week is a question for the call, and Seattle has 8 other centers.

They treat seniors. Interactions with the medications an older adult is already taking are the usual reason it matters, so ask who reviews them in Seattle.

The nearest other center is under a mile away, in Seattle, and there are 8 inside 14 miles.

They prescribe buprenorphine and naltrexone, which means the medication side is handled here rather than referred out to somewhere else in Seattle.

Aftercare is whatever holds the weeks after a program ends, and it is the part people most often skip. Where medication is part of the plan, the handover to a community prescriber is the gap to watch. Ask to see what a discharge plan looks like before you choose the program.

Some programs have a prescriber on site and some rely on yours, which is worth knowing in advance. Medication bought over the counter counts on the list, and leaving it off causes problems later. Keep whoever prescribes for you informed rather than assuming a handover happens by itself.

Outpatient programs run early and late for exactly this reason, so many people are treated without taking leave. A medical leave of absence from a college is normally reversible, and usually a better record than a failed semester. Keep a copy of everything you send and every date you were given.